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Acute Admissions Unit
- 24/7 admissions and referrals
- The entire referral process handled by us
- A network of experts in acute medicine
Acute admissions care at HCA UK
Why choose us?
Our Acute Admissions Unit provides easy access to 24/7 care for urgent and unplanned medical admissions. With high capacity across five hospitals in London and Birmingham and specialist acute medicine consultants and clinical nurse specialists always on-call, you can be sure that your patients will receive the timely and expert medical intervention and support they need for the best possible health outcomes.
Get in touch for fast admission, direct access to diagnostics and imaging and the support of a 24/7 private ambulance service across London and Birmingham.*
This service is available across four of HCA UK’s outstanding London hospitals: The Wellington Hospital, The Lister Hospital, The Princess Grace Hospital and London Bridge Hospital. It’s also available at our flagship Birmingham facility, The Harborne Hospital.
All five of our Acute Admissions Units are equipped and staffed to care for complex conditions requiring acute or urgent medical support. So, no matter where your patient is admitted or how complex their needs are, you can rest assured they’ll be looked after in the very best way for them.
You can access our Acute Admissions Units 24/7, 365 days a year. We’re always here to take care of your patients when you need us most, delivering highest standards of acute care privately available in the UK across our unmatched private hospital intensive care network.
We provide urgent interventions for a whole range of acute unplanned medical, surgical and acute admissions, taking care of even the most complex cases, day or night. Our leading consultants are always here for your patients and for you, working on a seamless rota basis to collectively provide comprehensive, expert cover across key specialties:
This service has been very specifically designed to support patients in need of acute care and there some patients who will be better served by other specialist departments within HCA UK. These include women over 20 weeks’ gestation who have an obstetric problem who will be best looked after by The Portland Hospital in their exceptional maternity department.
We also aren’t equipped to look after patients who are experiencing:
- A stroke within six hours of symptom onset
- Crushing chest pain or ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) requiring thrombolysis
- Acute myocardial infarction (MI) within 3 hours of symptom onset
- An acute psychiatric episode, including psychosis
- A highly contagious infection
- Major blood loss including an ongoing haemorrhage
- An emergency trauma
- Severe burns
- Suspected poisoning
Round-the-clock care without delay
For a whole breadth of acute medical and surgical conditions
Consultant physician-led care on admission
Supported by experienced teams of clinical nurse specialists
Access to leading diagnostics and treatments
Taking care of even the most complex cases
Acute admissions tests and scans
Diagnosing and treating complex cases, day and night
All five of our acute admissions units are equipped with the most advanced emergency diagnostic and imaging facilities, ready to understand and care for even the most complex clinical cases. You can rest assured that we’ll fully explore your patient’s symptoms and ensure a thorough and accurate diagnosis, so that they’re looked after in the best possible way for them.
It’s one of the ways that we can be sure that we’re delivering some of the highest standards of private acute care available anywhere in the UK.
It’s one of the ways that we can be sure that we’re delivering some of the highest standards of private acute care available anywhere in the UK.
The patient journey
Get your patient’s acute condition quickly and expertly managed with HCA Healthcare UK
01
Call to start acute admissions
Simply call the Medical Concierge Centre 020 7616 4999 anytime and our team will coordinate your patient’s admission to one of our five fully equipped unplanned care facilities. We’ll request a referral letter from you at this stage.
02
The transfer
Our team liaise will liaise with you and your patient to organise a transfer into one of our facilities from their home or your surgery or another hospital. This can include a private ambulance transfer, if it’s needed and your patient is within London or Birmingham.
03
Arrival and assessment
Your patient will arrive at one of our Acute Admissions Units facilities and immediately be taken into the expert care of our specialist, consultant-led teams.
04
Treatment plan
Your patient’s consultant will assess their condition and conduct any tests they think are necessary before deciding on the best course of treatment. The Medical Concierge Centre will keep you and their family informed of progress at every stage.
Accessing our Acute Admissions Units
Please be aware that patients can only be admitted to our Acute Admissions Units with a clinical referral from a GP or consultant.
Our Medical Concierge Centre team can provide self-funding patients with an estimate of the likely costs prior to your admission .
For patients with private healthcare insurance, our acute admissions is covered by all major healthcare insurers, but we do advise patients to check what’s covered by their individual policy before getting in touch.
Our locations
The Wellington Hospital
8A Wellington Place St John's Wood NW8 9LE London
The Lister Hospital
Chelsea Bridge Road SW1W 8RH London
The Princess Grace Hospital
42-52 Nottingham Place W1U 5NY London
London Bridge Hospital
27 Tooley Street SE1 2PR London
The Harborne Hospital
Mindelsohn Way B15 2TQ Birmingham
Acute Admissions Service FAQs
An acute admission is an urgent hospital admission for a sudden or serious health issue that needs immediate assessment and treatment. This is usually unplanned care, and could include severe pain, infection or a rapid worsening of an existing condition. Acute admissions are usually made by referral from a healthcare professional rather than being a walk-in service.
An Acute Admissions Unit is a specialist hospital ward for patients who require quick assessment and short-term treatment. Acute admissions require a referral from a GP or a consultant. Whereas a private Urgent Care Centre is a walk-in service which treats minor illnesses and injuries. If you are looking for an Urgent Care Centre, please visit our web page.
You should attend an acute admissions unit if you have been referred for urgent but non-life-threatening admissions. A&E is for critical emergencies requiring immediate intervention. Acute units within private acute care hospitals provide faster, more focused care for emergency urgent admissions that do not require full A&E support.
Most acute admissions happen on the same day after a referral. Many patients are admitted within a few hours, depending on how urgent their case is and if beds are available. Acute Admissions Units help provide quick, unplanned care and make the admission process smoother, helping patients have shorter waiting times when possible.
Yes, you may be able to, depending on your policy. Our team can check your eligibility and help you with the next steps. For more information about insurance and self-pay options, please visit our Payment Information page.
Patients admitted to our service usually need unplanned urgent but non-emergency support for vital organs such as their heart, lungs, liver or kidneys. Some stay just a few days to recover from surgery or an illness, while others may need a longer stay. That could be several weeks or more, depending on their condition.
Sometimes patient may be readmitted into HCA UK’s care if they develop complications following surgery or another medical procedure that they have had with us.
We commonly provide private urgent care support for:
Sometimes patient may be readmitted into HCA UK’s care if they develop complications following surgery or another medical procedure that they have had with us.
We commonly provide private urgent care support for:
- Respiratory conditions such as pneumonia and COPD
- Cardiac conditions including heart failure, arrhythmias, blood clots, pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis
- Neurological conditions including acute confusion, worsening dementia and seizures
- Gastrointestinal and HPB conditions including acute biliary problems, acute appendicitis and intestinal obstruction
- General medical conditions including acute infections, worsening diabetes and geriatric conditions
- Acute and chronic liver failure
- Acute and chronic renal failure, with dialysis if its needed
At HCA UK, we’re highly experienced at looking after patients from all over the world. Whether your patient has international private medical insurance (IPMI) or is paying for care themselves, our Medical Concierge team can manage the entire admissions process into our private acute hospitals. With just one call, they’ll organise everything, from the transfer itself to placing your patient in the most suitable unit for their needs.
We understand how stressful it can be to organise care away from home. That’s why we offer a full range of services to support international patients and their families – from interpreters and prayer rooms to support with admissions.
We understand how stressful it can be to organise care away from home. That’s why we offer a full range of services to support international patients and their families – from interpreters and prayer rooms to support with admissions.
Yes, having private healthcare does not mean you have to use it. You have the choice to use your medical insurance or be treated by the NHS. Additionally, choosing to have your treatment privately does not mean you will no longer be entitled to NHS care. The NHS is always available to you, and the accepting facility can transfer you back should you want to.
We can’t accept self-referrals, but as long as you’ve been reviewed by a GP or consultant and can supply a referral letter, we can arrange a transfer from your home to a HCA UK hospital.
Yes, you can. We do our best to be flexible with visiting times while making sure our patients stay safe and get the care they need. Usually, up to two visitors can be at the bedside at one time in our Acute Admissions Units. For safety reasons, overnight stays aren’t permitted.
We ask that visitors don’t come in if they’re feeling unwell. If you’re planning to bring children, please speak to the intensive care nurse first to check that it’s appropriate. If you need special visiting arrangements, we’ll always try to accommodate you. Just ask to speak with the nurse in charge, who’ll be happy to help.
We ask that visitors don’t come in if they’re feeling unwell. If you’re planning to bring children, please speak to the intensive care nurse first to check that it’s appropriate. If you need special visiting arrangements, we’ll always try to accommodate you. Just ask to speak with the nurse in charge, who’ll be happy to help.
We’re committed to treating all our patients with dignity, respect and care at every step, from their initial arrival with us through to helping them recover at home. Our Acute Admissions Units is clinically led by senior multi-disciplinary nurse specialists, who’ll personally navigate and advocate for your patient throughout their healthcare journey. They provide vital continuity of care and rapid access to consultants and treatments across our network of hospitals.
We work within HCA UK’s best practice governance framework, which is built around uncompromising patient safety standards, and we’re supported in our pursuit of excellence by our Clinical Quality Guidance Council: a multidisciplinary panel of clinicians, all leaders in their field.
Many of HCA UK’s hospitals and facilities have achieved the highest Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of ‘Outstanding’, and the Concierge Centre itself has been awarded ‘Best Healthcare Concierge Service’ in Greater London by the Private Healthcare Awards for the last three years.
We work within HCA UK’s best practice governance framework, which is built around uncompromising patient safety standards, and we’re supported in our pursuit of excellence by our Clinical Quality Guidance Council: a multidisciplinary panel of clinicians, all leaders in their field.
Many of HCA UK’s hospitals and facilities have achieved the highest Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of ‘Outstanding’, and the Concierge Centre itself has been awarded ‘Best Healthcare Concierge Service’ in Greater London by the Private Healthcare Awards for the last three years.
* 24/7 transfers applies to transfers in London only. Transfer times may vary and are subject to ambulance availability.
This content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.